Letter-box indicator.



No. 668,459. Patented Feb. I9, lam. H. SDHMID.

' LETTER Box INDICATOR.

(Application filed. Dec. 27, I900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheyts-Sheet l.

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LETTER BOX INDICATOR.

(Application filed Dec. 27 1900.) (No Model.),

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HENRY SOHMID, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

LETTER-FOX lNDlCATOR.

SFECIFIUATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 668,459, dated February19, 1901.

A pplieation filed December 27, 1900. Serial No. 41,300. (No model.)

To aZl whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY ScnMID, acitizen of the United States,residing at Bulfalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Box Indicators;and I do hereby declare the following to be afull clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and. to figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mail-box indicators, and moreparticularly to that class in which the indicating device isautomatically operated in the act of closing the door, so that when acollection has been made the time of the next succeeding collectionappears through an openingin the mailbox and there remains until the boxhas again been opened and-closed by the postman.

The object of my invention is to simplify the devices of this class,thereby avoiding a multiplicity of parts and insuring their positive andreliable action at all times.

To this end my invention consists of acertain arrangement andcombination of parts, which will be fully hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a standard mail-boxembodying my improved device with portions broken away to show interiorconstruction. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of Fig. 1, taken in the line0a m. Fig. 3 is an inside face view of the disk carrying thegravity-dogs; and Fig. 4: is a similar view of the device forrestricting the movement of the indicating-disk.

, Referring to the drawings, 1 is the mailbox of the standard patternwith the usual hinged lid 2 and drop-door 3, having side wings 4:. Uponthe front wing 4 I have secured the lever 5, having its outer endprovided with the forwardly-projecting pin 6.

Upon the front wall of the mail box 1 is the display-opening 7,protected by glass.

Inside the front wall of the box is a casing 8 for inclosing theoperative parts.

The disk 9, carrying the gravity-dogs, the

indicating-disk 10, and the disk 11, carrying the circular ratchet-plate12, are rigidly connected and provided with the front and rear pins 13and 14:, respectively seated in the front plate 15 and the casing 8, inwhich they are revolved. A series of gravity-dogs 16 are hingedequidistantly to the disk 9, and between these dogs 16 are arranged theseries of stops 17, (see Fig. 3,) to limit the forward play of the dogs,their backward play being unrestricted, so that they are permitted tolie close to the periphery of the disk 9.

The circular ratchet-plate 12 is provided with a series of rounded teeth18, between which the spring 19 is adapted for successive engagement,this spring 19 being rigidly secured to the casing 8.

The indicating-disk 10 is adapted for the removable reception of anindicating-sheet 20, preferably of paper, on which is printed a seriesof time-figures 21, indicating the successive mail-collecting periods,to be displayed through the opening 7.

The operation of my improved indicating device, hereinbefore outlined isas follows: Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that 6.20 p. m. is thecollecting time indicated at the opening 7. The postman arrives andunlocks the drop-door 3. In swinging it down the pin 6 on the lever 5 inits upward travel simply swings the contacting gravity-dog 16 to theright in its travel, the dog resu ming its depending position bygravity, the disk 9 in the meantime remaining stationary. As the door isclosed after the removal of the mail the pin 6 travels to the left inthe line of the dotted circle 22 and strikes the first dependinggravity-dog. As its movement to the left on the disk 9 is limited by itsadjacent stop 17, the pin 6 will cause it, and with it the disk 9, tomove forward a distance sufficient to cause the next collection time todrop down and appear at the opening 7. While this action is taking placethe spring 19 is permitted to ride over the rounded teeth 18 of theratchetplate, and the instant that the pin 6 escapes by the dependingdog the spring 19 engages between two of the teeth 18 and holds thedisks from further rotary movement until the drop-door is again openedand closed. It will be seen that the disk 9 is placed sufficiently nearto the side wall 23 of the mail-box to permit only one gravity-dog 16 toremain in the operative path of the pin 6.

It is apparent that with my improved construction the number ofcollections to be indicated is in no way limited, and if any one of thetimes for collection is either missed or is intentionally to be skippedthe proper time can be adjusted at the display-opening by a eegr adisplay-opening and a drop-door provided with an operating-pin, of arevoluble indieating-disk, provided with a series of hingedgravity-dogs, with limited play in one direc tion, upon the disk, andmeans for limiting the movement of the indicating-disk as and for thepurpose stated.

3. The combination with a mail-box having a display-opening and adrop-door provided with an operating-pin, of a revoluble indicating-diskprovided with a series of hinged gravity-dogs with limited play in onedirection, upon the disk, and a circular ratchetplate and spring forlimiting the movement of the indicating-disk, as and for the purposestated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY SOHMID.

Witnesses:

AUGUST F. HANDERERK, W. T. MILLER.

